OBJECTIVE To explore the effects of levosimendan on cardiac function， hemodynamics and prognosis of patients with septic shock complicated with myocardial depression， and evaluate the safety of levosimendan. METHODS Patients with septic shock complicated with myocardial depression who were admitted to the Department of Critical Care Medicine of Chongqing University Three Gorges Hospital from April 2021 to August 2023， underwent adequate fluid resuscitation， had a mean arterial pressure （MAP） ≥65 mmHg， and received pulse indicator continuous cardiac output （PiCCO） monitoring were enrolled. The patients were randomly divided into dobutamine group and levosimendan group according to a random number table， with 20 patients in each group. Both groups received intravenous infusion of Norepinephrine bitartrate injection at a dose of 0.1-2.0 μg/（kg·min）. On this basis， the dobutamine group additionally received intravenous infusion of Dobutamine hydrochloride injection at a dose of 5- 10 μg/（kg·min） for 3 to 7 days， while the levosimendan group additionally received intravenous infusion of Levosimendan injection at a dose of 0.1-0.2 μg/（kg·min） for 24 hours. Heart rate （HR） and hemodynamic parameters [systolic blood pressure， diastolic blood pressure， MAP， central venous pressure （CVP）]， PiCCO monitoring parameters [cardiac function index （CFI）， cardiac index （CI）， stroke volume index （SVI）， extravascular lung water index， global end-diastolic volume index， pulmonary vascular permeability index （PVPI）， global ejection fraction （GEF）， systemic vascular resistance index， left ventricular contractility index]， and prognosis indicators [death within 3 days after administration， mechanical ventilation time，intensive care unit （ICU） stay time， 28-day mortality rate] were compared between the two groups before treatment and at 24 and 72 hours after treatment. Adverse reactions were E-mail：recorded for both groups. RESULTS Compared with before treatment in the same group， CFI， CI and GEF at 24 hours after treatment， CI and GEF at 72 hours after treatment in the dobutamine group， as well as SVI at 24 hours after treatment and SVI and GEF at 72 hours after treatment in the levosimendan group were significantly increased； PVPI at 72 hours after treatment in the dobutamine group was significantly decreased （P＜0.05）. Compared with the dobutamine group during the same period， patients in the levosimendan group had significantly lower HR and significantly higher CVP at 24 hours after treatment （P＜0.05）. Within 3 days after administration， there were no deaths in either group； there were no statistically significant differences in mechanical ventilation time， ICU stay time， 28-day mortality rate， or the incidence of adverse reactions between the two groups （P＞0.05）. CONCLUSIONS For patients with septic shock complicated with myocardial depression who have undergone adequate fluid resuscitation and have a MAP of ≥65 mmHg， levosimendan is comparable to dobutamine in improving cardiac function and hemodynamic parameters， without affecting patients’ prognosis or increasing the risk of adverse reactions such as hypotension.

Objective:To observe any effect of ankle dorsiflexion angle on the gait of children with cerebral palsy (CP) after Achilles tendon lengthening surgery.Methods:Nine children with CP and equinus foot deformity were given Achilles tendon lengthening surgery. Reconstruction images of their pelvises and lower limbs were collected before the surgery and used to construct OpenSim simulations. Gait analysis data were also recorded before the surgery. The curve of changes to the Achilles tendon insertion was simulated in the software to determine the optimum angle of ankle dorsiflexion, and that guided the Achilles tendon extension surgery. The 3D gait analysis was repeated 12 months after the surgery to compare the spatiotemporal, kinematic and dynamic parameters (especially maximum ground reaction force on the affected side). The maximum dorsiflexion angles of the ankle joint before and after surgery were also recorded.Results:Before the surgery the dorsiflexion angles ranged from 8 to 12°, with an average of (10.1±1.2)°. After the surgery, significant changes were observed in the stride length, rhythm, speed and stride time of the affected side, as well as the maximum forward angle of the supported pelvis, the maximum dorsiflexion angle of the supported ankle and the maximum plantar flexion angle of the swinging ankle. Twelve months after the surgery, no recurrence of horseshoe malformation or over-correction complications were found in any of the 9 patients.Conclusions:3D gait analysis technology combined with OpenSim software can simulate the changes in Achilles tendon length needed by children with cerebral palsy. The optimum ankle dorsiflexion angle can be predicted pre-operatively and the simulation can also guide the operation. This technique also offers pre-and post-operative quantitative evaluation to provide references for subsequent rehabilitation treatment.

Objective To investigate the impact of exosomal miRNAs derived from endoplasmic reticulum-stressed(ERS)head and neck squamous cell carcinoma(HNSCC)cells on macrophages.Methods This study was reviewed and approved by the Ethics Committee.The expression levels of ERS-associated proteins,including protein kinase R-like endoplasmic reticulum kinase(PERK)and glucose-regulated protein 78(GRP78),in HNSCC tissues and para-tumor tissues were detected by Western blot(WB)and quantitative real-time PCR(RT-qPCR).HN4 human laryngeal squamous cell carcinoma cells were treated with 500 U/mL interferon-γ(IFN-γ)for 48 h to induce ER stress,and exo-somes secreted by ER-stressed HN4 cells were collected and identified.The types of miRNAs in exosomes were identi-fied through bioinformatics analysis,and the target genes of miRNAs were predicted.Macrophages were transfected with miRNA,co cultured with collected exosomes,and the expression of PTEN in macrophages was knocked down.The downstream signaling pathway regulated by exosomal miRNAs was studied by WB and RT-qPCR.Results Compared with that in para-tumor tissues,the expression level of ER stress-associated proteins in HNSCC tissues was increased(P＜0.05).RNA-seq analysis revealed that miR-26a-5p was highly upregulated in ER-stressed HN4 cell-derived exo-somes(P＜0.05).PTEN is the target gene for miR-26a-5p.miR-26a-5p increased the expression level of PD-L1 in mac-rophages and downregulated the expression of PTEN(P＜0.05).Macrophages co cultured with ERS extracellular vesi-cles showed an increase in miR-26a-5p and PD-L1 expression,a decrease in PTEN expression,and an increase in p-AKT expression(P＜0.05).Knock down the expression of PTEN in macrophages and increase the expression of PD-L1(P＜0.01).Conclusion ERS HNSCC cell-derived exosomal miR-26a-5p promotes the expression of PD-L1 in macro-phages through the PTEN/AKT signaling pathway.

Background::Pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) is characterized by excessive proliferation of small pulmonary arterial vascular smooth muscle cells (PASMCs), endothelial dysfunction, and extracellular matrix remodeling. G protein-coupled receptor kinase 2 (GRK2) plays an important role in the maintenance of vascular tone and blood flow. However, the role of GRK2 in the pathogenesis of PAH is unknown.Methods::GRK2 levels were detected in lung tissues from healthy people and PAH patients. C57BL/6 mice, vascular smooth muscle cell-specific Grk2-knockout mice ( Grk2?SM22), and littermate controls ( Grk2flox/flox) were grouped into control and hypoxia mice ( n = 8). Pulmonary hypertension (PH) was induced by exposure to chronic hypoxia (10%) combined with injection of the SU5416 (cHx/SU). The expression levels of GRK2 and Yes-associated protein (YAP) in pulmonary arteries and PASMCs were detected by Western blotting and immunofluorescence staining. The mRNA expression levels of Grk2 and Yes-associated protein ( YAP) in PASMCs were quantified with real-time polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). Wound-healing assay, 3-(4,5)-dimethylthiahiazo (-z-y1)-3,5-di-phenytetrazoliumromide (MTT) assay, and 5-Ethynyl-2′-deoxyuridine (EdU) staining were performed to evaluate the proliferation and migration of PASMCs. Meanwhile, the interaction among proteins was detected by immunoprecipitation assays. Results::The expression levels of GRK2 were upregulated in the pulmonary arteries of patients with PAH and the lungs of PH mice. Moreover, cHx/SU-induced PH was attenuated in Grk2?SM22 mice compared with littermate controls. The amelioration of PH in Grk2?SM22 mice was accompanied by reduced pulmonary vascular remodeling. In vitro study further confirmed that GRK2 knock-down significantly altered hypoxia-induced PASMCs proliferation and migration, whereas this effect was severely intensified by overexpression of GRK2. We also identified that GRK2 promoted YAP expression and nuclear translocation in PASMCs, resulting in excessive PASMCs proliferation and migration. Furthermore, GRK2 is stabilized by inhibiting phosphorylating GRK2 on Tyr86 and subsequently activating ubiquitylation under hypoxic conditions. Conclusion::Our findings suggest that GRK2 plays a critical role in the pathogenesis of PAH, via regulating YAP expression and nuclear translocation. Therefore, GRK2 serves as a novel therapeutic target for PAH treatment.

The Menghe Medical School is a highly influential academic school of Chinese medicine in China.Its academic features are mainly learning from others'strengths,openness and tolerance;integrity as the foundation,communication as the strength;harmo-ny as the way,and agility as the technique.The Menghe Medical School originated in Menghe,developed in Shanghai,spread all over the country,and spread around the world.The reasons for the prosperity and development of the Menghe Medical School are analyzed.Among them,imperial doctors being rewarded and supported,the stars having their roots in Menghe,inheritance from teach-ers by blood,help from in-laws,and the establishment of education and leadership in development are the main factors.On the basis of inheriting the scholarship of Menghe Medical School,Professor Tong Xiaolin innovatively proposed academic ideas such as the train-ing path of Xiang thinking,state-target differentiation and treatment,and dosage and effectiveness of prescriptions and medicines,pushing the academic thought of Menghe Medical School to a new theoretical peak in the new era.Based on the majestic development path of the Menghe Medical School,the implications for the inheritance,innovation and development of modern Chinese medicine are analyzed.

The clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats (CRISPR)-Cas9 system has been widely used for genome engineering and transcriptional regulation in many different organisms. Current CRISPR-activation (CRISPRa) platforms often require multiple components because of inefficient transcriptional activation. Here, we fused different phase-separation proteins to dCas9-VPR (dCas9-VP64-P65-RTA) and observed robust increases in transcriptional activation efficiency. Notably, human NUP98 (nucleoporin 98) and FUS (fused in sarcoma) IDR domains were best at enhancing dCas9-VPR activity, with dCas9-VPR-FUS IDR (VPRF) outperforming the other CRISPRa systems tested in this study in both activation efficiency and system simplicity. dCas9-VPRF overcomes the target strand bias and widens gRNA designing windows without affecting the off-target effect of dCas9-VPR. These findings demonstrate the feasibility of using phase-separation proteins to assist in the regulation of gene expression and support the broad appeal of the dCas9-VPRF system in basic and clinical applications.
Humans ; Transcriptional Activation ; RNA, Guide, CRISPR-Cas Systems ; Gene Expression Regulation ; CRISPR-Cas Systems/genetics*

Objective:To investigate the short-term efficacy of left-sided three-port total laparoscopic distal gastrectomy (TPTLDG).Methods:The prospective randomized controlled study was conducted. The 68 patients undergoing laparoscopic distal gastrectomy in the First Affiliated Hospital of Air Force Medical University from March 2022 to March 2023 were collected. All patients were randomly assigned to the TPTLDG group with a double number, and to the five-port laparoscopic distal gastrectomy (FPLDG) group with a single number, respectively. Observation indicators: (1) grouping situations of the enrolled patients; (2) comparison of perioperative condition; (3) comparison of complications during postoperative 30 days; (4) comparison of pathological examination. Measure-ment data with normal distribution were represented as Mean± SD, and comparison between groups was conducted using the independent sample t test. Measurement data with skewed distribution were represented as M( Q1, Q3), and comparison between groups was conducted using the Mann-Whitney U test. Count data were described as absolute numbers, and comparison between groups was conducted using the chi-square test or continuous correction chi-square test. Comparison of ordinal data was analyzed using the non‐parameter rank sum test. Results:(1) Grouping situations of the enrolled patients. A total of 59 patients of gastric cancer were selected for eligibility. There were 40 males and 19 females, aged 59.00(52.00, 67.00)years. The gender (male, female), age, body mass index (BMI), Caprini score (≤2, ≥3), nutritional risk screening 2002 (<3, ≥3), Eastern Coopera-tive Oncology Group performance status (0, 1), preoperative hypersensitive C-reactive protein, preoperative IL-6, preoperative white blood cell count, preoperative albumin were 19, 11, 59.00(51.25,65.25)years, 21.92(20.93,22.73)kg/m 2, 7, 23, 24, 6, 18, 12, 0.78(0.78,1.46)mg/L, 3.07(1.50,10.56)μg/L, 6.07(4.94,7.19)×10 9/L, 44.30(40.83, 46.15) g/L in the 30 patients of TPTLDG group, versus 21, 8, 57.00(51.00, 67.00)years, 21.90(20.95, 23.35)kg/m 2, 11, 18, 24, 5, 17, 12, 1.13(0.78,11.40)mg/L, 5.56(1.88,15.12)μg/L, 5.54(4.71,6.70)×10 9/L, 43.55(40.25,44.88)g/L in the 29 patients of FPLDG group, showing no significant difference in the above indicators between the two groups ( χ2=0.557, Z=-0.444, -0.805, χ2=1.482, 0.074, 0.012, Z=-1.259, -1.262, -0.819, -1.199, P>0.05), confounding bias ensured comparability between the two groups. (2) Comparison of perioperative condition. The length of incision, time to removing drainage tube, IL-6 at postoperative day 3, cost of hospital stay were 6.65(6.48,6.93)cm, 3.00(0,3.00)days, 29.18 (13.67, 43.53)μg/L, 84 164.15(73 084.72, 96 782.14)yuan in the TPTLDG group, versus 8.00(7.50,8.35)cm, 3.00(3.00,4.00)days, 47.56(21.31,85.79)μg/L, 92 120.43(87 069.33, 113 089.74)yuan in the FPLDG group, showing significant differences in the above indicators between the two groups ( Z=-11.065, -2.141, -2.940, -2.220, P<0.05). (3) Comparison of complications during postoperative 30 days. The incidence rate of complications during postoperative 30 days was 30.00%(9/30) and 24.14%(7/29) in the TPTLDG group and FPLDG group, respectively, showing no significant difference between the two groups ( χ2=0.256, P>0.05). (4) Comparison of pathological examination. Cases with pathological N staging as 0 stage, 1 stage, 2 stage, 3 stage were 22, 2, 4, 2 in the TPTLDG group, versus 13, 7, 4, 5 in the FPLDG group, showing a significant difference between the two groups ( Z=-2.021, P<0.05). Conclusion:TPTLDG is safe and feasible for gastric cancer, with a good short-term efficacy.

Via an insufficient coat protein complex I (COPI) retrieval signal, the majority of SARS-CoV-2 spike (S) is resident in host early secretory organelles and a tiny amount is leaked out in cell surface. Only surface-exposed S can be recognized by B cell receptor (BCR) or anti-S therapeutic monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) that is the trigger step for B cell activation after S mRNA vaccination or infected cell clearance by S mAbs. Now, a drug strategy to promote S host surface exposure is absent. Here, we first combined structural and biochemical analysis to characterize S COPI sorting signals. A potent S COPI sorting inhibitor was then invented, evidently capable of promoting S surface exposure and facilitating infected cell clearance by S antibody-dependent cellular cytotoxicity (ADCC). Importantly, with the inhibitor as a probe, we revealed Omicron BA.1 S is less cell surface exposed than prototypes because of a constellation of S folding mutations, possibly corresponding to its ER chaperone association. Our findings not only suggest COPI is a druggable target against COVID-19, but also highlight SARS-CoV-2 evolution mechanism driven by S folding and trafficking mutations.

Objective: To clinically validate the feasibility and accuracy of cine images acquired through the multitasking method, with no electrocardiogram gating and free-breathing, in measuring left ventricular (LV) function indices by comparing them with those acquired through the balanced steady-state free precession (bSSFP) method, with multiple breath-holds and electrocardiogram gating. Materials and Methods: Forty-three healthy volunteers (female:male, 30:13; mean age, 23.1 ± 2.3 years) and 36 patients requiring an assessment of LV function for various clinical indications (female:male, 22:14; 57.8 ± 11.3 years) were enrolled in this prospective study. Each participant underwent cardiac magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) using the multiple breath-hold bSSFP method and free-breathing multitasking method. LV function parameters were measured for both MRI methods. Image quality was assessed through subjective image quality scores (1 to 5) and calculation of the contrast-to-noise ratio (CNR) between the myocardium and blood pool. Differences between the two MRI methods were analyzed using the Bland–Altman plot, paired t-test, or Wilcoxon signed-rank test, as appropriate. Results: LV ejection fraction (LVEF) was not significantly different between the two MRI methods (P = 0.222 in healthy volunteers and P = 0.343 in patients). LV end-diastolic mass was slightly overestimated with multitasking in both healthy volunteers (multitasking vs. bSSFP, 60.5 ± 10.7 g vs. 58.0 ± 10.4 g, respectively; P < 0.001) and patients (69.4 ± 18.1 g vs. 66.8 ± 18.0 g, respectively; P = 0.003). Acceptable and comparable image quality was achieved for both MRI methods (multitasking vs. bSSFP, 4.5 ± 0.7 vs. 4.6 ± 0.6, respectively; P = 0.203). The CNR between the myocardium and blood pool showed no significant differences between the two MRI methods (18.89 ± 6.65 vs. 18.19 ± 5.83, respectively; P = 0.480). Conclusion Multitasking-derived cine images obtained without electrocardiogram gating and breath-holding achieved similar image quality and accurate quantification of LVEF in healthy volunteers and patients.

Objective:To compare the effect of F7.5 ureteroscope and other types of ureteroscope (F8.5, F9.0, F9.2, F9.6) in the control of intrapelvic pressure during operation.Methods:F7.5 super thin flexible ureteroscope and other 4 kinds of disposable flexible ureteroscopes (F8.5, F9.0, F9.2, F9.6) were combined with 3 kinds of ureteral guidance sheaths to form 15 endoscope-sheath combinations. The real outer diameter of each flexible ureteroscope was measured and the effective ratio of endoscope-sheath diameter was calculated. The real outer diameter of each soft mirror was measured and the effective sheath ratio was calculated. The irrigation during lithotripsy was simulated in a 3D printed kidney model, the irrigation pressure of 50-500 cmH 2O was set, and the stable intrapelvic pressure and flow rate were measured. The line chart was drawn and the relationship between intrapelvic pressure and irrigation pressure was analyzed by linear regression. The intrapelvic pressure between different endoscope-sheath combinations and different endoscope groups were compared respectively. Results:The ratio of endoscope-sheath diameter for all combinations ranges from 0.62 to 0.92, with 0.75, 0.68 and 0.62 for the F7.5 flexible ureteroscopes and F10/12, F11/13 and F12/14 sheath combinations respectively. Intrapelvic pressure and flow rate showed an approximately linear relationship with irrigation pressure in all groups. The F7.5 flexible scope with the F10/12, F11/13 and F12/14 sheaths all provided intrapelvic pressures below 40 cmH 2O. The F12/14 sheath-F7.5 scope combination produced the lowest intrapelvic pressure of 1.47 cmH 2O at 50 cmH 2O irrigation pressure and the highest flow rate of 74.24 ml/min at 500 cmH 2O irrigation pressure. When combined with the F10/12 sheath, only the F7.5 flexible scope was able to maintain a safe intrapelvic pressure of only 25.90 cmH 2O throughout. Analysis of the variability of intrapelvic pressure using the combination of instruments as the grouping variable suggested a significant overall difference( P<0.05). Analysis of the variability between groups using the different flexible scope as the grouping variable showed that the F7.5 scope group had significantly lower intrapelvic pressure compared to the other four groups( P<0.05). Conclusions:The F7.5 super thin flexible scope has the best intrapelvic pressure control of the five flexible scopes due to the significantly reduced ratio of endoscope-sheath diameter for the instrument combination and the ability to fit a thinner guide sheath while maintaining safe pelvic pressure.